John Mariotti's The Chinese Conspiracy's Reviewed By June Maffin of Bookpleasures.com

June Maffin

Reviewer
June Maffin:Living on an island in British Columbia, Canada, Dr.
Maffin is a neophyte organic gardener, eclectic reader, ordained
minister (Anglican/Episcopal priest) and creative spirituality
writer/photographer with a deep zest for life. Previously, she has
been grief counselor, broadcaster, teacher, journalist, television
host, chaplain and spiritual director with an earned doctorate in
Pastoral Care (medical ethics i.e. euthanasia focus). Presently an
educator, freelance editor, blogger, and published author of three
books, her most recent (Soulistry-Artistry of the Soul: Creative Ways
to Nurture your Spirituality) has been published in e-book as well as
paperback format and a preview can be viewed on YouTube videos.
Founder of Soulistry™ she continues to lead a variety of workshops
and retreats connecting spirituality with creativity and delights in
a spirituality of play. You can find out more about June by clicking
on her Web Site.

Everything author John
Mariotti puts forth in his second novel points to the chilling
possibility of global cyber-terrorism. Worm viruses began
infiltrating computers around 2000, but the tale Mariotti weaves
takes cyber-terrorism the next step. And it’s frightening.

He creates a scenario
where communication systems throughout the world are silenced: no
cell phones; no internet; no land lines; no fax machines, no email.
Cars/emergency vehicles/busses/trucks crash into one another, 911
lines are down, traffic signals only operate on green and … worse.

The story begins
innocently enough when Jim Martini, concerned that the town’s major
employer has failed suddenly and unexpectedly, returns to his home
town of Briggs, West Virginia. In trying to learn what happened, he
accidentally stumbles into a major international conspiracy -
computer viruses, hacking, malware, cyber-technology are being used
by a Chinese revolutionary group with the help of disgruntled
Pakistanis in an attempt to take control of the United States and
overthrow the Chinese government.

The good characters (a
former girlfriend, her son, and an old high school buddy who now is a
US Senator) are really good. The bad guys (immoral, sexually
deviant, power-and-money-hungry) are really bad. No regard for the
sanctity of human life, they are willing to commit murder, spy and
betray anyone to achieve their goal.

The book’s subtitle What
Happens When Nothing Works echoes throughout the chapters of the
book. What would happen in today’s world if everything controlled
by computers – phones, internet, Wall Street trading, air travel,
traffic controls, GPS, even the most secure governmental and military
communications – shut down, without warning, all at once,
everywhere in the world? When pondering the date of the ultimate
attack on the United States, one of the evil characters in the book
remarks “The exact date is not important. Whatever date we choose,
we will show them that 21st century power lies not in destruction,
but in technology. Soon we will show them the power of ‘the
silence.’ Mariotti’s sub-title and the reference to ‘the
silence’ are eerie and become a prophetic clarion wake-up call for
today’s world leaders to make their nations cyber-secure. Now!

At the outset, the
author’s use of William James’ stream-of-consciousness (interior
monologue) writing as a stylistic approach (“Little did I know how
impossible that was to become.”) was intriguing. But, the
italicized phrases and sentences soon became intrusive and at times
condescending to the reader’s intelligence. However, setting that
personal frustration aside, this is a fast-moving thriller
reminiscent of the tradition of Tom Clancy and John Grisham novels
filled with sub-plots of intrigue, betrayal and oh yes, of course, a
touch of romance.

Deeply involved in
governmental affairs, author Mariotti started his career in the
telecommunications industry. These experiences held him in good
stead as he developed his plot. If you want a book that invites you
to consider what the war-of-the-future might be like or how
technology can be manipulated on a global scale, this is the book for
you. It’s an easy read with very short chapters - ideal for long
airline flights, summer vacations, and a read-by-candlelight when the
power goes out in a winter storm – and a chilling thought-provoker.